Moses maeshall



M. MARSHALL. Knitting Machine.

PatentedOct. 5,1880.

N. PETERS. FHOTO L1TNOGMPRJER WASHINGTON D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT Brion,

MOSES MARSHALL, on cnrcornn FALLS, MAsSAoHUsnrrS, Assr-enon TO THE LAMB KNITTING MACHINE COMPANY, on SAME PLACE.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 232,834, dated October 5, 1880.

Application filed August 11, 1879. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Moses MARSHALL, of Ghicopee Falls, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the needle-operating cams, particularly the depressing-cams of what are known as Straight-knitting ma- IO chines and its object is to avoid the excessive'and needless strain upon the threads and friction upon the parts, caused in the ordinary machine by drawing and holding the needles in advance of the depressing-cam below the I point required for knitting purposes; and to this end the invention consistsin mechanism hereinafter described forgiving the depressing-cams, which act alternately, an automatic vertical adjustment, so that during each stroke or action of the cams the forward or idle depressing-cam stands at a higher elevation than the other.

The invention also consists in certain details of construction, and in combining with e 5 the movable depressingcams devices for shifting the elevating-cam vertically.

In order that the nature and purpose of my invention may be the more readily understood, it is proper to explain that the machineto which 0 it relates is provided with a series of needles sliding in fixed guides, and witha set of hori zontally-reciprocating cams, which act upon the shanks of the needles to slide them up and down in the guides.

Figure l is a diagram illustrating these cams as constructed and arranged in the ordinary machines hitherto in use, They are three in number, and consist of a central elevatingcam, A, having its small end upward, and two depressing or wing cams, B B, arranged on opposite sides of the former, with their small ends downward.

The cam A acts at each movement or reciprocation to elevate the needles, but the other cams act alternately to depress them, the cam B acting when the movement is in the direction of the arrow, and the cam B acting when the movement is in the opposite direction. During each reciprocation that depressingcam which is for the time being in advance, relatively speaking, of the elevating-cam is the idle cam, and the other the active cam. Ordinarily the depressing-cams are fixed in position at the same height, and consequently the needle-shanks are compelled to pass down under the forward or idle cam to the same extent that the shanks of the needles taking new stitches are depressed by the rear and active cam. Now, the elasticity of the yarn when strained upon the needles in forming the stitches has a tendency to draw the needle-shanks upward above the lower edges of the cams after the latter have ceased to act, as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that the needle-shanks in front of the idle cam are a little higher than those which have been pulled down under the advancing edge of said cam. These shanks jumped up or were pulled up the short distance referred to by the strain of the stitches or loops last put on the needles.

The longer the stitches the greater the tendency of the needles to draw up above the point at which the depressing-cam left them. Now, there is no necessity for having the'idle cam draw these needles down out of this raised position they'have assumed, and the doing so causes the useless expenditure of power and strains the yarn uselessly, and in some kinds of stitch, as the Cardigan, breaks the yarn at times. To remedy this difficulty I so arrange the parts that each cam is raised, when idle, above its operative position, and then returned to said position again before commencing action. By this arrangement the needle-shanks 85 are permitted to remain in the position to which they are raised by the yarn while passing to and under the idle cam.

Devices for automatically raising and lowering the lifting-cam I do not claim; neither 0 do I claim devices whereby the depressing-cams may be adjustedvertically and fixed in position according to the length of stitch required, as lam aware that such features are now in general use.

In the accompanyingdrawings, which illustrate the needle-cams with my improvements applied, Fig. 2. represents a face view of my to those now used foradjusting the wing-cams 1 improved arrangement of camsas they appear when moving to the left Fig. 3, a similar view with the cams in position to move to the right; Fig. 4, a similar view, with the cams in position to move to the left and the elevating-cam of a 'flat plate, 0, which is secured by screws a to the horizontally-reciprocatingirame or carriage D, a portion only of which is shown, but which will be constructed and arranged 'as usual.

. A fiat space isleft between plate Can-d frame or carriage D to receive a plate, E, capable of an independent horizontal reciprocation, for the purpose of giving the vertical adjustment to the cams in the manner hereinafter detailed.

This plate is (given its independent reciprocation by having a depending arm, I), which eucounters stopsat the ends of the machine at the termination of each strokeor reciprocation l of the carriage.

Each of the cams B B is held and guided by two screws, a, passing loosely through oblique slots 61 in the front plate, 0, whereby each-cam is held and guided so that it may v slide up and'd'own in an oblique direction, and each cam has on its back a stud, e, extending into a cam groove or slot, f, in a plate, g.

The plates 9 are mounted in vertical slots in the ends of the horizontally-reeiprocating plate E, as shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8.

Eachv plate 9 is provided with a horizontal slot, .h, to receive a stud, i, fixed eccentrieally upon arotary:spindle,j, which latter is mounted in the trame or carriage D and provided with an external knob and a binding-nut, is, similar I 3 to fixed positions.

i. As the plate E moves to and fro it carries I with .it the cam-plates g, which are prevented from moving vertically by the studs engaging in the slots h, and as the cam-plates move to and fro their grooves f, acting upon the studs 0, move. the dcpressingcams up and down, one being raised as the other is lowered. As the vframe or carriage moves to the left the parts stand in the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 5,

with cam B elevated, and as the movement is completed the plate E-encounters a stop, G,

and its position is changed to that shown in Figs. '3 and 6, whereby the cam B is depressed and cam'B elevated preparatory to a reverse movement of the frame or carriage.

to adjust the cam-plates. g Vertically, and hold them from moving vertically when inaction, so as to determine the vertical positions of the *ment by means of the same devices, in part,

and control the length of the stitches taken. It will thus be seen that by simply turning the spindle j the length of the stitches may be regulated, as in the machines now in use.

In case a machine is intended for one kind of work only, and the length of the stitches does not require adjustment, the cam-plates g and spindles j may be omitted and the camgrooves made directly in the plate E, the slotted plates, when fixed, being equivalents of slots formed in the main plate E.

Passing, now, from the depressing-eams'to the elevating-cam A, I will describe the manner in'which it is given the usual vertical movethat adjust the depressing-cams.

The cam A is held by a stud sliding in a vertical slot in plate 0, and extending through the same into an oblique slot, m, formed partly in the plate Eand partly in a plate, 0, which is mounted in a horizontal slot in said plate E.

The plate 0 is notched in its under edge to receive a locking-bolt, 19, arranged to slide in plate E, and actuated by means of a thumblever, g, which extends downward within reach of the attendant. When the bolt 19 is thrust upward itlocks the plate 0 firmly to plate E, and the reciprocation of the, latter in the carriage D causes the cam A to be raised and lowered at the same time that the depressing-cams are adjusted, the cam A being shi'ftedfrom the positions shown in'Figs. .2 and 3 to that shown in Fig. 4. When, on the other hand, the bolt p is-drawn down, it releases the plate 0, which remains at rest and holds cam A in an elevated position, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, while plate E moves to and fro.

The object of raising and lowering the elevating-cam, asdescribed, is to cause the knitting action of the needles in one d-irection only. This adjustment and the result secured there by are, separately considered, the same as in the machines now in common use.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In combination with the frame or carriage D, a reciprocating plate,E, cams'B B, slotted plates g, mounted .in and arranged to reciprocate with plate E, and meansfsubstantiallyas described, for fixing the vertical position of the plates g, asset forth.

2. The combination of the cams B B, the reciprocatingframe or carriage, the plate E, arranged to be reciprocated upon the carriage, and provided with the oblique cam-operating slots, andthe depressing-cams'BBQ'as described and shown, whereby the forward or idle cam is automatically raised and main- 7 tained aboveits operative position, asset forth. The spindles and their eccentric studs serve plate E and block 0, having the oblique slot stantially as described, to elevate and depress formed in them, the cam A, and the sliding all three cams, in the manner described and 10 bolt, provided with the operating-1ever, subshown. stantially as described. 5 5. The combination of the elevating-cam, MOSES MARSHALL the two depressin g-cams, and the reciprocating Witnesses: plate E; provided with the three cam-operat- '1. 0. PAGE, ing slots, and arranged and connected snb- H. N. LYON. 

